


terrified of what you won't become

by ShyAudacity



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie Andrews is a Good Friend, Domestic Fluff, Homeless Jughead Jones, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Queerplatonic Relationships, Sad Jughead Jones, anyway, archie & jellybean wasnt a tag and that makes me sad, kind of, semi canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 00:52:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14863544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShyAudacity/pseuds/ShyAudacity
Summary: Gladys Jones gets pregnant for the second time when Jughead is thirteen years old. It took him a few days to wrap his head around the idea of not being an only child anymore, but he was excited nonetheless, had always kind of wanted a little brother. Privately, he thought it was a tactic to make sure his dad wouldn’t leave them. He didn’t dare say that out loud, though; lord knows what would have happened to him if he had. It worked, regardless.Then, three days into June, out comes one Forsythia Piper Jones, and Jughead swears that he’s never seen anything so small. He’s still holding her when Archie and Fred come to visit at the hospital.Neither one of the boys can stop looking at her; Archie gently touches the top of her head as he whispers: “I didn’t know that babies could be this little.”ORThe one where Jellybean is younger and Jughead spends a lot of time at the Andrews house. QP Jarchie.





	terrified of what you won't become

**Author's Note:**

> I realize now I that I miss an opportunity to post this on the day I have I set for Jellybeans Birthday, but oh well. 
> 
> Unbeta'd and title from Die Young by Max Frost.

Gladys Jones gets pregnant for the second time when Jughead is thirteen years old. It took him a few days to wrap his head around the idea of not being an only child anymore, but he was excited nonetheless, had always kind of wanted a little brother. Privately, he thought it was a tactic to make sure his dad wouldn’t leave them. He didn’t dare say that out loud, though; lord knows what would have happened to him if he had. It worked, regardless.

His Dad quits drinking, one part in solidarity with his wife and the other part being that he’d been meaning to stop, or at least slow down a bit. Things are a little less tense around the house while his mom is pregnant. Both herself and FP seem happier, they smile more and fight less than they used to. Jughead almost wishes that she’d gotten pregnant earlier.

Then, three days into June, out comes one Forsythia Piper Jones, and Jughead swears that he’s never seen anything so small. He’s still holding her when Archie and Fred come to visit at the hospital.

Neither one of the boys can stop looking at her; Archie gently touches the top of her head as he whispers: “I didn’t know that babies could be this little.”

At home, it’s weird adjusting to having a baby around. While he expected that she would take most of his parent’s time, Jughead didn’t realize that she would cry so much, in the middle of the night, especially.

The small girl doesn’t laugh until she’s nearly a year old, bursts into a fit of giggles after Jughead almost chokes on a handful of candy. The rest of the Jones’ are so caught off by the sound that all of them just stare at her for a moment before laughing themselves. After that, Jughead only refers to her as Jellybean, despite the glares that his Mom sends him.

At fifteen, a week before they’re being evicted from their house, his parents are fighting, again. They still haven’t found a place to live, FP’s pretty sure that he’s getting fired from his job, and his drinking habit has reared its ugly head.

Jughead has been hiding out in his room. The two of them have already woken up Jellybean once with all their yelling, it’s going to be nearly impossible to get her asleep if she wakes up again.

Not knowing what else to do, he shoves some of her things in his backpack, scoops up the two-year-old, and slips out the back door without so much as a word to his parents. He heads off in the direction of the only place he can think of.

Archie opens the door, a little stunned to see him so late at night.

“Hey,” Jughead mumbles, “I know this is last minute, but can we crash here for a bit?”

Archie, god bless him, doesn’t even hesitate.

Fred takes one look at Jughead, bag slung over his shoulders and Jellybean asleep against his chest and just goes with it. He asks:

“Air mattress or sleeping bag?”

After the air mattress has been made up and lights have been clicked off for the night, Archie and Jughead are still wide awake. The silence in the room grows awkward as it stretches on, neither one of them are really sure what to say in a moment like this.

“I’m sorry that you’re losing your house,” Archie says quietly.

“I’m more bummed about losing the tree house, to be honest. Can’t exactly take that with me.”

Archie hums lightly, rolls over to face Jughead in the dim light of the room.

“Maybe your new place will have a pool or something, that would be kind of cool.”

“I guess so.”

“… Jug?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you come _here_?”

Jughead doesn’t know how to respond to the question at first, has to ask himself the same thing.

“I don’t know,” He says. “It just seemed like the best option.”

What Jughead doesn’t say is: _I knew you wouldn’t push me away if I asked. I don’t trust anyone else to help me with this._

In the morning Archie wakes up to find Jellybean awake and playing with Jughead’s beanie, watches as she pulls it over her head again and again. He laughs at the way it makes her hair stand on end, then decides that it’s time for pancakes.

“C’mon, Beaner, let’s let Juggie sleep a little longer.”

Jughead joins them later after another hour of sleep and once all of the batter has been cooked. He’s still rubbing the sleep out of his eye when he walks into the kitchen.

“Hey,” Archie greets. “How’d you sleep?”

“Good, I guess. Thanks.” _That’s the best sleep that I’ve gotten in weeks._

As he’s eating the pancakes, Jughead gets a warm feeling in his chest as he watches Archie walk around the kitchen with Jellybean on his hip. Thinks to himself: _I wish things could be like this forever._

He goes home an hour later and his Dad is still asleep on the couch despite it being almost eleven. Gladys comes into the room with a cup of coffee just as he’s set Jellybean down.

“Hey, where were you two off to so early in the morning?” She asks.

_She didn’t even realize we were gone._

Jughead swallows before he answers, feeling his gut churn.

“Uh- Archie invited me over for breakfast. I didn’t wanna wake you. I hope it’s okay that I took Jellybean.”

“It’s fine, Honey,” she says. “Just leave a note next time, okay?”

He nods, trying not to let the disappointment show on his face. Jughead goes to his room, climbs into bed and pulls the covers over his face. It’s the only thing he can think to do when it feels like everything around him is falling apart.

It happens again, turns into somewhat of a pattern. Jughead will show up at the Andrews house, Jellybean standing right next to him, ask if they can hide out for a bit.

Archie always says yes.

Sometimes they spend the night and Archie will make pancakes in the morning with Jellybean while Jughead sleeps in. Archie wouldn’t say this to out loud, but he’s worried about Jughead, wonders who’s taking care of him while he’s busy taking care of everyone else.

It goes on for a year, weekends upon weekends of crashing on Archie’s floor, or occasionally in his bed when it’s cold. Jughead always tells him that he can kick them out if they’re being a bother, but Archie never does. This is how he knows that he made the right choice, he doesn’t regret letting Archie in on this mess that his life has turned into.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Gladys packs up her things and leaves for Toledo, taking Jellybean with her. Jughead is heartbroken, spends two whole days at Archie’s house before he faces the music and goes back to the trailer park.

That summer turns out to be some of the worst months of his short life. Archie bails on their road trip the night before they’re supposed to leave. He’s only slightly surprised. Jughead always kind of thought that the two of them would fall away from each someday, he just didn’t think it would happen so soon, so suddenly.  

Then, Jason Blossom dies and the whole town loses their minds. It’s like everyone forgot how to function overnight.

Archie apologizes at the football game for everything, the fight, bailing on him, the whole nine yards. Jughead, despite so badly wanting to, doesn’t hug him- not right then at least. It happens later, in the quiet sanctity of Archie’s bedroom after they’ve gotten back from Pop’s; the hug isn’t as long as he would have liked for it to have been, but, at that moment, it’s exactly what he needed.  

Jughead moves into Archie’s room indefinitely after his dad falls off the wagon, again. It’s almost weird how domestic things are between the two of them. In all honesty, he’s just glad to have somewhere to stay that isn’t a complete nightmare. It’s so easy to find a place for himself in the Andrews House; like he was always meant to be there.

For the first time in years, Jughead doesn’t have to worry about leaving. He knows now that this is where he should be, he can see that people want him here. It’s a feeling that he didn’t think he would ever get to know. He stays with Archie and Fred through all of the mess that goes on over the next year, and Jughead doesn’t see his sister or his Mom even once.  

Having a relationship with his sister strictly through face time is bizarre, makes his heart hurt every time she asks when he’s coming back or coming to get her. Somehow, right before Junior year starts, he’s able to convince his Mom to come visit for a weekend. Jughead holds onto his sister tighter than he ever has before, and the first thing Jellybean wants to do is go see Archie.

He can’t say that he’s surprised, Jellybean always wanted to talk to Archie while they facetimed. At this point, Archie is as much her brother as Jughead is.

He doesn’t tell Archie before bringing her over, feeling an immense kind of joy when he sees the utterly surprised look on Archie’s face at the sight of a four-year-old running at him full speed down the foyer.

“Archie!” She yells; Jughead wants to laugh at the way it sounds more like _ouchie_ , does to himself just a little.

“Hey, Beaner!” Archie says, picking up her and spinning around a little. Jughead gets that warm feeling that he’s become so accustomed to when he’s around Archie.

Later, when Jughead says something about getting Jellybean home before it gets too late, Archie catches him by the wrist, asks him- both of them- to stay. He says it with a fierce kind of sincerity that makes Jughead’s heart stop for just a second, he doesn’t even try to say no.

In morning, Jughead wakes up on the couch, his head on Archie’s shoulder and Jellybean giggling in the corner as Fred not so discreetly tries to take a picture of the two of them. He’d be mad if he wasn’t so relaxed, so at peace with where his life is right now.

Archie stirs a few minutes later and insists that they make pancakes. All of them laugh over breakfast, and Jughead thinks back to that first night himself and Jellybean stayed here, how afraid he was that he might get judged or look dumb for asking for help. He feels almost silly just thinking about it now, realizing that it’s impossible to look stupid in a room full of people who love you.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments are greatly appreciated. You can leave a prompt here or you can find me on tumblr as archieandrewsprotectionsquad. Have a great day!


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